And Then There Was Light
by Sparky She-Demon
Summary: Edith gets a surprise a few months after the events at Allerdale Hall. Over time, certain secrets and well meant lies get harder to keep. *Thomas will be appearing as a ghost* Part 1.
1. Surprise, Surprise

**Chapter I: Surprise, Surprise**

 **A/N: Sorry, this can't be helped. I got this idea within minutes after the movie ended. Yes, its cliché, but I like this particular one. The events in this story hinge on the one night that Thomas and Edith had away from Allerdale Hall. I have spoken to the writer LadyLorena. While we may have similar starting points, the directions we are taking our stories are completely different. This story is also unconnected to my oneshot. Thank you to Laura for her help! Enjoy the story, SSD**

 **P.S- Merry Christmas!**

* * *

 **Also for my own reasons, Alan is just going to be a general surgeon.**

* * *

Late April 1902, Trinity College Library, Dublin Ireland.

" _This really is a beautiful library. It is an architectural marvel."_ Edith thought with a smile.

It was hard to believe that it had been nearly two months since the events at Allerdale Hall. The only outward sign was the scar under her left eye.

Alan was worried how she was holding up otherwise. Even though she'd tried to get him to return to Buffalo, to return to his practice, he'd gotten a job at the teaching hospital attached to Trinity College.

Edith had awoken in the morning and made the decision to head to the library where she could do some research for her book. She felt a bit nauseous when she sat up, but fought off the urge to lose what little might be in her stomach. She got out of bed and put on her gold dress before pulling her hair up into a chignon. Then she made her way to the library.

Edith gathered the books she had been using and began making her way to the back of the library. As she passed by the stacks of books she heard a familiar voice. "Edith, you look lovely today." She turned towards the voice to see Dr. David O'Neill pulling a book from the shelf. "Dr. O'Neill, it's good to see you," Edith replied, with a smile. "You're working on your book again I see," the doctor indicated with a nod of his head. "Oh, yes," she answered. "Do you mind if I join you?" "I'd be happy for the company." They made their way to the back of the library and sat opposite one another at the table. They worked in comfortable silence for a while before Dr. O'Neill started weaving an enchanted tale that had Edith hanging on his every word.

###

She sat and listened to him for quite a while before realizing she should probably head back before Alan came home. "Dr. O'Neill, I really should be getting back before Alan reports me missing," she said, getting up to leave. She felt a bit dizzy and grabbed the edge of the table, something that was not lost on the doctor.

"Are you okay Edith?" he asked, coming around to her, concerned.

A polite smile crossed her lips and she replied, "I'm fine, I guess I just got up too fast, thank you. I enjoyed the story Dr. O'Neill," she said giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you again."

"Have a good evening Edith."

"Thank you Dr. O'Neill, you have a good evening as well." Edith collected her things and started to make her way out of the library. Dr. O'Neill watched as she disappeared from his sight thinking if he were forty years younger, he'd consider courting Edith himself. Then he heard a noise like something or someone falling.

He grabbed his bag and hurried around the stacks of books seeing Edith lying on the floor. Two young men were standing nearby, unsure of what they should do. "You two," O'Neill said pointing at them, "Don't just stand there, sit her up!" He moved in next to Edith and knelt down, opening his bag. He pulled out a small packet and opened it before waving it under her nose.

Edith's eyes fluttered open and she shook her head at the scent of the smelling salts. "What happened?"

"I'm quite certain you fainted my dear."

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed."

"Nonsense, it happens. However, I want to take you to the hospital to check you out."

"That's not necessary, but thank you."

"Necessary or not, I'm taking you there straight away. I will not take no for an answer Edith dear."

"Alright," she answered nodding. She let the doctor and the two gentleman help her to her feet. One of the gentlemen picked up the items Edith had dropped and handed them over to her. "Thank you," she said to him.

"Shall we?" Dr. O'Neill said offering his arm to Edith. She looped her arm through his and the two of them made their way to the hospital.

###

Alan was just finishing up with his shift when he saw Edith come in with Doctor O'Neill. O'Neill even though he was older, still worked every shift with the energy of a man much younger than he.

He made his way over to them, asking, "What happened Edith, are you alright?"

Before Edith could reply, O'Neill replied, "Your wife just had a minor fainting spell, Alan. I brought her here to have her checked out."

Alan exchanged a look with Edith. This hadn't been the first time someone had assumed that in the past weeks since they made it to Ireland.

Seeing the look, the older doctor asked, "Am I missing something?"

"A small misunderstanding: Alan is not my husband, but a very good friend of mine. I am a recent widow, Doctor O'Neill," Edith explained tightly.

###

David just felt like he'd really put his foot in his mouth, before backpedaling, "I apologize, my dear. And I am sorry to hear that."

"Thank you doctor. It's been hard, but I'm coping," Edith replied. There was no need to trouble the old doctor with more.

To cut through the awkwardness he was feeling, David suggested, "Well why don't you and I head over to my office, we should discuss what may be up with you, my dear."

As they left Alan said, "I'll wait for you Edith."

###

Once they were settled in his office, O'Neill turned to Edith and asked, "Have you had any other fainting episodes?" David was really concerned and wasn't asking entirely under his pervue as a doctor.

"No I have not, though I have been feeling light headed at times over the past few weeks. Mostly it's after I get up too quickly. That must have been what happened at the library." Edith responded. She really wanted to return home.

"Have you had any other problems my dear?" O'Neill pressed. He did not yet have all the pieces to the puzzle.

Edith bit lip before continuing, "It's just been some nuisance stuff."

"Please tell me, I would like to be able to help you," the older doctor persisted.

Edith looked at him for a moment before moving on to, "I've been feeling mildly moody, snapping at Alan a bit. Also I have been more tired than usual as well." She grimaced before remembering the most inconvenient of the nuisance symptoms, Edith finished the list of symptoms with, "Also I have been nauseous for no apparent reason and the strangest of things set me off."

David had been about to take a sip of whiskey before the young woman in front of him gave him her last symptom, which made him choke.

He placed the glass down after he had finished coughing. Everything was clear as day to him now.

Clearly concerned, Edith asked, "Are you alright Doctor? Did I say something I should not have?"

"I'm fine my dear. The whiskey went down wrong." He had to approach this carefully, as this was more than likely the last thing she expected.

Turning towards her, he said, "Edith my dear, please pardon me for being crass, but this is a necessary question: Did you have intercourse with your late husband?"

David had never seen anyone go as pale as the young woman in front of him in that moment, before blushing in a manner that would make the setting sun envious.

"Yes, one night. We didn't have that much time together. Why do you ask?"

He moved in front of her and took her hand saying softly, "My dear, it only takes the one time."

"What only takes once?"

David fought the urge to squeeze the bridge of his nose. He was going to have to come out and say it to her.

"Edith, I believe that you might be pregnant."

###

Those were the absolute last words that Edith was expecting to hear in the aftermath of the events at Allerdale Hall. Sure, she'd known that there would be a chance, but with everything that had happened, the fall, the firethorn tea…

From what she'd read, her being pregnant made every symptom she had fall into place.

After getting up slowly, she said, "I will be getting back to you on that, Doctor."

She felt as if she were in a daze as she walked towards Alan.

When she got to him she said, "We need to talk."

###

Alan had a feeling that whatever Edith was about to tell him, was not going to be an easy pill to swallow.

* * *

 **A/N 2: So… what do you all think?**


	2. A Need for Bullshit Artists

**Chapter II: A Need for Bullshit Artists**

 **A/N: Extreme apologies for the long wait. I had a scene that was truly kicking me in the teeth. It did not want to get written. Thanks go out to Laura for her beta work, along with anyone else who helped. I appreciate it! Now, here is chapter two, and please don't mind the title. It's meant as a joke. Enjoy the chapter! SSD**

* * *

Marshall McMichael was worried about his little brother Alan. Back in January, he'd just went off to England in a hurry, giving him little information as to the why. He knew that it involved Edith, but next to nothing beyond that.

He knew that Alan had been worried enough to bring his gun with him, which had been left it at the house in his haste to leave for the ship to England.

Marshall had still been at the law firm when one of the paralegals brought a telegram from the office downstairs. He had been finishing things up before going on a business trip to Ireland that he would be taking next week and lasted a month.

Opening it, he nearly dropped it to the floor as he read:

 **Need your legal help stop Who do you know on this side of the Atlantic that can help until you arrive stop**

After reading it a few more times for good measure, Marshall quickly jotted down a reply telegram:

 **What on EARTH happened over there stop You didn't kill anyone did you stop I will be over there later next week stop For the time being, contact Declan O'Neill stop He loves making trouble for the Crown stop Be careful**

Marshall supposed he would find out what happened over there when he got to Dublin. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to defend his brother for killing a peer of the Realm, no matter how low level he was.

###

Nine days later, Marshall was back in Dublin. He liked these business trips here, as it gave him an excuse to see his old friend Declan.

He also needed to get ahold of his younger brother Alan. However as he got to where he knew Alan would be at the moment, Marshall saw his brother leaving the place in a bit of a hurry.

"What happened, little brother?" Marshall asked. His brother looked a little bit flushed and worn out. It looked like he had been arguing with someone.

"I'll tell you the story, over a drink," Alan replied. There were still things he was going to leave out.

###

Edith watched from the window as Alan met up with his brother. She felt sorry that she'd told him to leave, but she'd just wanted to be left alone.

Before any more thoughts could come to her, Edith had to make a dash to the water closet as a wave of nausea hit her.

Ever since actually finding out she was pregnant, the nausea had become a part of her daily routine.

Once it finished Edith leaned back against the wall. Suddenly so many thoughts crashed through her: Would there be anything wrong with the child, what would the child look like, what it would be like for them…

Suddenly she remembered that twins skipped a generation on her mother's side, which sent her back to the toilet. Edith had already lost most of what little she'd eaten earlier.

###

Marshall had nearly spat out his Guinness several times as his brother told him the story of his adventures in Jolly Old England. Those serial stories in the newspapers had nothing on what had happened. When his brother finished his tale, Marshall said,

"So let me get this all straight. You went off to England to rescue Edith. You leave your gun at my house, which it sounds like it would have been a good thing for you to have. You get stabbed in the gut, but Edith's husband stabbed you where it wouldn't immediately bleed out, to buy time to deal with his lunatic sister. He helps you down to the bowels of that place, leaves you there to go deal said sister. Edith comes back down and gets you out of the basement. Then after a bit of time Edith helps you back up out of the place, out into the blizzard from hell. During this, she manages to kill the sister. Things were quickly pushed under the rug by the authorities, and you two came over to Ireland. Now to make things even more interesting, Edith's turned up pregnant. Am I missing anything?"

 _"Just what I've left out. It's something you'd be much happier not knowing,"_ thought Alan before saying, "No, that's about it." Then he remembered something Edith had mentioned. Turning back to his brother, Alan asked,

"Edith does not want the child anywhere near England. She knows, and I do as well, that there is little good that can come out of the land. Also the estate, what there is of it, is entailed. And even if it weren't, the law firm dealing with the probate case is reluctant to give it over to Edith. Probably because she's an American."

"But since Edith is pregnant with his child, the land would pass to the child, whether the firm liked it or not," Marshall replied.

"Not if the child was made to look as if it were someone else's..." Alan said before Marshall interrupted.

"That would be incredibly complicated, someone would have to marry her practically right now to make it even plausible..." Marshall trailed off before noticing the look on his brother's face, realization coursing through him.

"That's why Edith told you to leave. She doesn't like the idea very much."

Alan took a deep breath, "That's one of the reasons I left in a hurry."

Marshall then got an evil grin on his face. Noticing this, Alan asked, "What's so funny?"

"If she agrees to this, I'll help you in whatever way possible. But you have to let me do one thing."

"What's that Marshall?"

Marshall's grin got even more warped, "You have to let me tell our mother that you've married Edith. She'd have a fit!"

While neither brother hated their mother, now that they were older, both of them saw her for what she was. And she'd turned their little sister into a younger version of her.

###

Edith usually liked being alone with her thoughts, but lately they seemed to betray her. Ever since finding out she was pregnant, her thoughts would always stray back to Thomas. Today they strayed back to that night, the night she had wanted more than anything. The night she and Thomas finally sealed their love for one another, and the night that started the downward spiral.

They made their way into the tiny room, Thomas apologizing for the tininess of it. But she had loved it. It was warm and cozy and they were alone, something they'd never had at Allerdale Hall. And finally, they were able to be together in the most intimate way possible. Their kisses had been delicious and consuming.

Edith remembered the look on Thomas's face as he'd crawled up her body. He'd looked feral, hungry, hungry for her, what she'd dreamed about since meeting him. He kissed her again, slipping his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. His kisses were all she'd dreamed of and more. Her hands slid down his body into his trousers, pushing them slowly down over the curves of his ass. She finally had what she wanted and it was more than she had ever expected. The feeling of him inside of her, the feeling of being one with him finally, left her euphoric and satisfied.

Edith also wondered what Thomas's reaction would have been if he were still alive. She liked to think that he would have been surprised, but happy. He likely would have had doubts about his ability to be a good father, given what she now knew about his childhood. Thomas also would have been terrified on many different levels.

Chief among them, if his sister had found out that he'd had sex with another woman.

Edith shuddered at the thought of _her_ finding out. That would not have ended well for anyone.

" _How has the child beaten the poison?"_ Edith wondered

After thinking tonight, Edith knew what she had to do, to protect her child from ever going anywhere near Allerdale Hall.

###

He was there. He would always be there to watch her. He was bound to her in death, and when she had the child, he would be bound to the child instead.

There was also something he knew that Edith did not know just yet, and would not know for a while.

* * *

 **A/N: Hm…. Who was that there? ;) The faceclaim on Alan's brother is Frederick Weller. There's going to be more legal stuff next chapter, everything is going to work out! Please tell me what you think! SSD**


	3. Help From Our Friends

**Chapter III: Help from our Friends**

 **A/N: Another long wait for an update. Edith is… difficult for me to write, which is a very bad thing, for someone trying to write her. Any kind of advice for writing her in the future will be appreciated. Trying to write a writer is far from the easiest thing. Especially a stubborn writer. I also borrowed a scene from another story of mine. It fit the situation. Thanks go out to Laura for her beta work. Enjoy the update! SSD**

* * *

Edith slowly became aware of her surroundings, the pillows were soft against her face, she snuggled deeper into the covers wanting to retain the warmth and drift back off to dreamland. She sighed and rolled over, the sudden movement making her head spin, her stomach roiled in sympathy and nausea washed over her. She remained as still as possible trying to make the sudden dizziness go away but the nausea worsened.

She felt the now only too familiar sensation wash over her in waves, growing like the incoming tide. Edith yanked back the duvet and sat up, the room seeming to spin afresh, or perhaps she was unable to stay still, it was hard to tell. She got to her feet, her legs wobbling like jelly and stumbled across the room. She felt as though she were trying to cross the deck of a ship in the middle of a hurricane. She felt so awful, tears began stinging her eyes, she took another few steps and collided with the dresser. She righted herself and felt like she was on a ship in the middle of a stormy sea. Edith opened the door, barely aware of her surroundings and knew she was going to be sick. Unable to walk due to the nausea and dizziness she slumped to her knees and crawled as fast as possible to the bathroom.

She reached up and threw the toilet seat back just as her stomach heaved. The first few seconds were a welcome relief, the action easing her nausea. The hot, foul smelling liquid seared her throat and her abdomen ached as she heaved again, and again. She had a few seconds respite and gulped air, coughing and spluttering. She felt her stomach heave and threw her head forwards once again. Her throat was agony and her stomach screamed in protest as her stomach contents were fully emptied and she began to dry heave. Mercifully she only brought up foul tasting yellow bile. She was shaking and muttering slightly as the heaving began afresh.

###

Alan felt that it was safe to enter Edith's home now after a few days. Marshall would be coming with him, hopefully to get things started.

Marshall was more worried about entering the house without Edith's knowledge. Unlike his brother, Marshall had prior experience with a pregnant woman, his wife Mary.

In the early days, things could be most… unpleasant for the woman. Mary had not been that ill, it had been smells that had mostly driven her up the wall.

She'd also thrown things at him. He'd been lucky that her gun (Mary was from Texas among other things) was in the gun safe. Marshall had to move the gun safe to where Mary couldn't reach it.

He'd been less than keen on getting shot anyplace! And Mary could hit what she aimed at with incredible accuracy.

"If what you've told me about Edith's symptoms is true, she'll likely not be feeling well at the moment. And I really don't want to get things thrown at me."

"If you would prefer to wait in the sitting room while I talk to her, you are free to do so."

###

Alan went to the room Edith was in. She had just come out of the bathroom feeling a little weak. His hand rubbed along her face as he felt sorry for what she was going through at the moment. "Marshall is here to speak with you. Are you well enough to speak with him?" Alan asked worried.

"I will be alright, give me a moment to fresh in up." Alan left her a moment while she tried to make herself look presentable. She put on a change of clothes putting her hair in a bun. When she finished, she made her way down stairs seeing Marshall sitting on the couch across from Alan.

"Edith, it has been a long time," he said greeting her with a hug. She returned the hug. Hugging him briefly before sitting down.

"Nice to see you again," she said sitting next to Alan.

"I do wish there were better circumstances, but we need to discuss your options for the child."

Edith nodded. Alan had mentioned that Marshall would likely be more than willing to help.

Before Marshall could speak, Edith asked, "What's the worst that can happen, if nothing is done?"

"The child could be taken from you, especially if it's a boy. It could be construed that taking him or her from you would be in the child's best interest." Marshall almost growled out the last two words. There was a lot of true idiocy when it the Courts decided to do things that were supposedly in a child's best interest.

"What if we left Ireland? Headed back the US?" Alan asked as Edith turned even paler at Marshall's statement.

"I cannot believe I am saying this, but staying in Ireland actually would make certain things easier, like forging the documents. All you need is a few pints, and you'll get your forged documents when you need them," Marshall smiled a little at that before continuing, "My friend Declan owes me a favor from when we were still in law school. And he'd do this for free once he finds out that he's going to be able making things difficult for the English legal system."

Edith had gotten up and was standing by the window, looking outside. Both men noticed that was rubbing her stomach.

"I'll do it. For the child. I don't want the child, boy or girl anywhere England." Edith's voice was strong.

"As you will. Alan and I will go and see Declan. Will you be alright alone?" Marshall asked.

"I'll be fine. Go on, get going."

###

Edith had agreed to marry him. Alan wasn't going to pressure her in regards to what kind of marriage it would be, at least initially. Edith was pregnant, the child would be her primary focus after he or she was born.

The only reason he was at the hospital, was that it was time for his shift. Alan didn't really need to work, but the repetitiveness of his rounds helped him think.

He wasn't expecting to see Doctor O'Neill still there. His shift had been earlier in the day. The old doctor was talking to a woman who looked to be about ten years older than Alan himself. They seemed to be old friends.

"Doctor McMichael, how are things moving along?" The older doctor was somewhat aware of the plans that were going on.

"The papers just need to be signed." This had not been what Alan had imagined a wedding of his to Edith would be like. It was clinical and very little emotion.

"How is Edith doing?"

"Not too badly. Still a bit sick."

O'Neill shook his head, "Usually that abates, but it can last throughout the pregnancy." Realizing that he had not yet introduced Alan to who he had just been talking to. "I apologize. I should have introduced you sooner. Doctor Alan McMichael, this is Doctor Helen Magnus."

"It's a pleasure. I believe I was at one of your lectures a few years back," Alan said as he shook her hand.

Before anything more could be said, Doctor O'Neill (after excusing himself from Helen) took Alan aside and whispered, "Doctor Magnus may be able to help you with what you are attempting to do. She could help bury certain information so that it will never see the light of day."

Alan had to give that some thought. Though he was uncertain of letting someone else in on the plan. Because if more people knew a secret, the harder it would be to keep.

###

The future was always changing. It had been one of the first lessons he had learned after becoming a ghost. He also could see future possibilities. Some were good, others were bad, and two were truly horrible.

The two truly horrible ones involved either history repeating itself or the premature death involving drowning.

He was interrupted by the entity known only as Mr. Jordan. After waving the future possibilities away, Mr. Jordan said,

"The future is always changing. Do not torture yourself with what might come to pass."

* * *

 **A/N 2: Again, apologies on the long wait. I do not own Helen Magnus or Mr. Jordan. I picture Mr. Jordan as Thomas Lennon from the new version of The Odd Couple. The movie that I got him from is titled Here Comes Mr. Jordan, where the character was played by Claude Rains (Captain Renault from Casablanca) There's also a poll that is directly involved with this story. Quite an important bit. I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter, hope it was worth the wait. The next update should not be as long. SSD**


	4. Family Business

**Chapter IV: Family Business**

 **A/N: Now we're going to open the story with Marshall coming home to NYC. Unfortunately, some unpleasant characters on the American side of the Atlantic will come into play this chapter. Also I will be bringing Alan, Marshall, and Eunice's father into the mix. I know that in the movie, he wasn't in the picture, though for my purposes, he was on a business trip out West. Picture him as Scott Glenn, looking basically like he did in Silverado. Obviously a bit older than that, but that's the general look. As for Marshall's wife Mary, picture Kate Winslet, as she looked in Titanic. Apologies for the long wait. Thanks go out to those who helped. SSD**

* * *

 **Middle of May, 1902**

* * *

Marshall had never been happier to be back home in New York. It meant that he was going to see his wife and daughter again. What it also meant was that he was going to need to explain to his firecracker of a wife that he was going to be bending the law in the short term future. He would not get into so much trouble in the States. If anyone was truly risking their law license, it was Declan.

The English would not take kindly to what was being done.

He smiled as he went to the telegraph office to send a message to let Mary know that he was back.

Marshall knew that he would have to tell her at least some of what he'd gotten up to over in Ireland. The business that was not on the docket of the firm he worked for.

###

"DADDY!" a tiny towheaded girl yelped as he came into his home. She ran right into him jumping into his arms, making Marshall stagger.

"Joan, sweetie, give your father some room to breathe. He only just got in."

His daughter smiled. A short time later she yawned.

Undeceived, Mary said, "Go upstairs. I told you that you could stay up till your father came home."

Too tired to even argue, their daughter, and currently only child meandered up the stairs.

Once the door upstairs had shut, Mary looked her husband over. He was tired, but there seemed to be a tiredness that went beyond returning home from a business trip to Ireland.

"Something happened over in Ireland that has nothing to do with the firm. And don't bullshit with me, I can tell when you're lying," she warned before he could even open his mouth.

"Please sit down Mary. I have a story to tell you, and I do not know how it will end. I believe that I will need your help to make it as happy an ending as possible." Marshall was looking at her directly in the eyes.

Mary sat down and listened to her husband's tale.

###

When her husband was done with the story, Mary's eyes were wide.

"You can't make stuff like that up. Certainly more interesting than the newspaper serials. That was quite the adventure Edith had over in England," Mary shuddered. She was glad that she had not had to go through that herself.

Before her husband could speak again, Mary added, "And she's pregnant as well?" The hits just seemed to keep on coming for Edith.

Marshall nodded, "She isn't doing too well. Morning sickness and nausea seem to have hit her hard as well."

"Well, I'm glad that I am not going through that at the moment," Mary had a small smile on her face.

Not quite sure that he had heard his wife correctly, "Excuse me?" Marshall asked, inquisitiveness clear in his tone.

"It is going to be a good year for grandchildren for your parents. You're going to be a father again, I think sometime in November."

Marshall's face split into a huge grin. Suddenly, Mary found herself being twirled in the air.

"Put me down, you string bean!" Mary screeched.

After one more twirl, Marshall put her down. Giving him a light kiss, Mary asked, "I take it you are happy?"

"Of course I am. I'm thrilled." Marshall's grin still had not faded.

Mary knew that the news she was giving him next would likely wipe the grin from his face.

"On another note, your parents and your sister will be coming for a visit in a few weeks."

Marshall groaned out loud. He would not mind spending time with his father (he planned to tell his father what had happened over in Ireland first), but his mother and sister were pieces of disturbance that he would rather not deal with.

As if he did not have enough to do!

Back in Ireland, Marshall had been all too pleased to be the one to tell his mother and younger sister of Alan's marriage and Edith's condition. And while he was still looking forward to telling them, he knew that it was going to be loud. At least in regards to his mother.

###

Those few more weeks had passed, and Marshall was getting more and more nervous by the hour.

He had distracted himself with all the work he had to do before the courts let out for the summer. Marshall wanted as peaceful a summer as possible and he knew that when his mother found out what he had helped Alan do and what he was going to do in the future, it would be far from peaceful.

###

While the women greeted each other, Emmett McMichael noticed a look on his oldest son's face. It was a mix of pity, fear and grim satisfaction.

Marshall knew that Mary would find a way for him to pay for it late, but he said, "Dad and I are going to a club, Mary do you think you keep a handle on things?"

Even though Mary thoroughly disliked spending time with her mother and sister in law, she had a feeling that her husband was about tell his father what he had told her weeks ago.

###

"Are you going to tell me what secret you're keeping, or am I going to have to get you three sheets to the wind?" They were both at the club, and in peace.

Marshall sipped the whiskey before saying, "It is a wild tale, father."

"Try me. I've heard so many stories of your Uncle Jake's that were just smoke and mirrors."

Marshall smiled at the memory of his uncle's stories.

His father then said, "I am aware that this mess likely started after your mother and sister went to England and told me about a possible husband before my business trip out West."

"Your wits are with you as always, Father. Yes, that's when it started. But the story has not ended yet. There is much, much more to tell you!"

Emmett settled into his chair. He knew a long story when he saw one.

###

"I thought I had heard everything, but this is above and beyond anything I have heard before," was what his father said in a stunned whisper. "Is there any more to the story?"

Marshall replied, "I told you what I was told. I have a feeling that there were things that Edith and Alan did not tell me. Especially Edith."

"I always thought that your brother was too good for this Earth. Now I have proof. Not a man in 10,000 would do that," Emmett said, pride for the fact that his son was a good man.

"Mother is going to be apoplectic with rage. I was hoping you would be able to help me manage her and Eunice." Marshall was unable to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

Motioning to the bartender, Marshall said, "I'll have another drink."

"Make that two," his father said a short time after. They would need to have some booze in them in order to deal with Ruth McMichael's rage on this subject.

###

When they got home, it was only an hour until dinner. Marshall and his dad had spent a good portion of the afternoon discussing strategy in regards to letting the cat out of the bag to his mother and Eunice.

Both of them were very much three sheets to the wind.

###

At dinner, both Marshall and his father were still drinking, if not as much.

"Don't you think you two have had enough?" Ruth McMichael asked her oldest son and husband. She had been less than thrilled to see them come home in their drunken state. At least they'd been under their own power.

"Not nearly enough," Marshall mumbled with a slight slur to his words. McMichael asked her oldest son and husband. She had been less than thrilled to see them come home in their drunken state. At least they'd been under their own power.

"Not nearly enough," Marshall mumbled with a slight slur to his words.

"Excuse me?" his mother asked sharply.

Emmett snickered. He also noticed that his daughter in law Mary was fighting the urge to smirk herself.

Marshall exchanged a look with his father who said, "Just tell her now, and get it over with. She's got to find out sooner or later." He did not envy his son.

"What the devil are you two talking about?" Ruth had a feeling that those two knew something she did not know.

"I have a story to tell you mother. I want you to stay quiet and NOT interrupt me until I am done speaking. Do I make myself clear?" Marshall said in his best lawyer's voice.

His mother nodded.

Marshall took another belt of the Bushmills he had brought back from Ireland. He was definitely going to need it to tell this story again.

###

Ruth had been listening to the story her oldest son was telling, seething the whole time. Her rage was building with every word he said. By the time Marshall was finished, her fingers were numb from her nails digging into her gritted fists as she fought the urge to fling something, anything across the room.

She saw that her daughter in law was looking at her and not even bothering to conceal her smirk. Mary had likely already known what Marshall's story was going to be. Mary had also reached out and stroked Marshall's hand at a few points during the telling of the tale.

In contrast, Eunice had gotten pale. She had not realized the bullet she'd dodged.

Marshall went into _in vino veritas_ mode, saying, "Eunice, you are my sister, and I love you. But you would not have been able to get your way out of that the way Edith has. You would likely be dead."

Eunice left the table in a hurry. In a deadly calm voice, Ruth asked, "Was telling your sister that entirely necessary?"

"I just wanted her to know the facts. After all, Alan and Edith will be returning to the States eventually," Marshall went back to cutting his meat.

Before Ruth could make a rude remark, Emmett cut in, "Ruth there won't be any talking Alan out of this. It's already happened. And when they do return, I expect you to be civilized."

Giving her husband a look that told him that their discussion was nowhere near over, Ruth got up to go after her daughter.

"That went better than I thought it would," Mary murmured, "I thought there would be more yelling."

"There will be," Emmett said while rubbing the bridge of his nose. "She's just going to wait until we get back to Buffalo."

"I thought they were heading Washington DC?" Mary asked.

"No there will be a short time in Buffalo, where I fully expect her to tear into me. There will also be letters to your brother."

The remaining three went back to eating dinner in companionable silence. The next several months were going to be a wild ride to behold.

* * *

 **A/N 2: I decided to cut chapter 4 here, since it could stand on it's own. I wanted to give you all something this summer. Chapter 5 will hopefully be out sometime next month. I would love to hear what you think of the new OC's! We will be back in Ireland next chapter. Enjoy and please tell me what you think! SSD**


	5. Gone, But Not Forgotten

**Chapter V: Gone, But Not Forgotten**

 **A/N: I think I've got a good title for this chapter. It also fits the situation as a whole. While Thomas is gone from this life, Edith will never forget him. Shakespeare's Sonnet number 9 fits the situation as well. I recommend highly that it be looked up! There will also be some time jumps over the course of this year, trying to get to a certain event. Carolyn, I don't know what I would have done without you! You have been a godsend for this chapter! SSD**

* * *

 **Late May-Early June 1902**

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Green Hills of Ireland...

Helen Magnus had come to Ireland for a few different reasons. One was to put distance between the prime timeline self of hers that was living her life. Another was that Ireland was always teeming with abnormals. She had already found an entrance to Hollow Earth and was starting to use it to make an underground Sanctuary.

She had not expected to be actively using her degree in medicine at this time. But her father's old friend David O'Neill (and an abnormal with a slowed rate of aging) had asked her to do a favor for him and help a young woman and her new husband.

After being given the short version of the story, even Helen had shuddered. She had remembered reading about the murder of the mother, and being shocked at the brutality of it at the time. The article had been quite unclear as to who had murdered the mother. And with good reason, if what David had told her was true.

When Helen had asked David of how Edith had figured things out, he had only said that it had come as a shock. Soon, Helen would meet Edith.

* * *

When Dr O'Neill entered the examination room he was accompanied by a woman. At first, Edith assumed she was there as chaperone for a formal examination, in case Edith preferred a woman to be present.

"Edith, this is Dr Magnus. She's here visiting for a while and I asked her to join us. I think it might do you good to talk. I'll leave you to it." Dr O'Neill left the room.

Edith was so very tired all of a sudden. She looked at the woman Dr O'Neill had introduced her to. Things were changing but it was still fairly unusual to get a woman doctor. Dr Magnus was a serious looking brunette with kind blue eyes. She smiled at Edith, and for some reason Edith felt immediately reassured.

"Dr O'Neill tells me you have been having an uncomfortable time, Edith," Helen decided to start the conversation.

"Yes. I have had some dizziness, a lot of sickness."

"But that's not all is it? I can see you are troubled, too. I understand that for some women pregnancy holds deeper issues besides morning sickness." Helen would let Edith tell her what she wanted of the situation.

Edith thought for a moment. She found Helen's voice soothing, and felt that she should be able to trust her. There were things she did not think she could tell anyone, but there were also things that would be safe to say to Dr Magnus.

"The baby is my first husband's.' She paused, aware that to most observers this circumstance would be ideal. She thought it showed empathy and intelligence that Dr Magnus said nothing, just waited for her to continue.

"He is dead. He was murdered." Edith found it surprisingly hard to continue. "His sister.. was… not well. Mentally. She tried to poison me, and murdered.. Thomas." She could not yet voice the fact that before Thomas had realized he loved her, she too was intended for murder, possibly even at his hand. "I am also worried that the baby might have been damaged by whatever the poison did to me."

"Well, that might well trouble you. Has anything happened since you found you were pregnant to make you worried for the child?" David had left the poison out of what he told her. He had either withheld information, or Edith had not told him yet.

 _"Edith seems to being more judicious when it comes to trust,"_ Helen thought to herself.

"No, nothing specifically, I don't think. It is just a general unease. I have much to be grateful for, you understand. I have the child of a man I loved ...very much… growing within me. Although I no longer have that man at my side I feel that he cares for me still. Indeed, I have reason to believe that without him I would not be here today.." Edith felt herself almost - almost - confiding those deepest secrets with this woman she had only just met. She fell silent.

"I too lost a man I loved, Edith. I also lost my daughter. I promise you I will do everything within my power to ensure that your child is safe." Helen still left a few things out, since Edith would likely not believe her.

"Dr Magnus…" Edith paused.

"Helen, please" Helen smiled, putting Edith at ease.

"Helen," Edith smiled back. "I have certain… beliefs. Based entirely on personal experience, evidence that satisfies me completely." She took a deep breath.

"Helen, I know ghosts exist. I have seen them. My husband's ghost saved me from his sister. There were previous … happenings, which I cannot speak of yet. Reasons…. I"

She paused, unable to continue.

Helen took her hand. She had a feeling that Edith was in all likelihood an abnormal. A medium to be precise.

"Edith, there are people who have certain - abilities. They may not be consistent, they may be frightening, or confusing. They may not be things those people can speak of in public. But you may always speak freely to me. I have seen ample evidence that the world is not just what we see. I think you can sense that. You have not told anyone this, have you?"

"The first ghost I saw was my mother's. I was a child then. I have seen many since, but I have never told anyone now living, except Alan, when we were children," Edith replied.

"That is probably just as well. There are those who would consider it a sign of instability, and that is a burden you do not need, especially now. You said that your husband's sister tried to poison you. It would be helpful to find out what that was. What were the symptoms?"

"I was sick and dizzy often, scoured sometimes. I also sometimes had sores in my mouth. Later I started coughing up a little blood, and I was very weak," Edith recited.

Helen raised an eyebrow. "Could you link any of the symptoms to anything in particular? Anything you ate or drank?"

"Lucille would make me tea. It was strong and a little bitter. I believe the tea was at least sometimes to blame. Thomas eventually told me not to drink it, so I stopped, but I did not improve completely."

Helen looked thoughtful for a moment. "I have a feeling I seem to recall…"

A noise from outside the door alerted them that Dr O'Neill was about to enter.

"We will talk again soon, Edith. I will be looking after you along with Dr O'Neill," Helen told the much younger woman with a smile.

"Thank you, Helen. I am glad of it."

Edith was surprised she had felt so at ease confiding in Helen, hoping, trusting, it was the right thing to do.

"Dr O'Neill, I have a couple of ideas about something which I want to check. I will be back shortly."

Helen left the Doctor and Edith together in the room. She had an idea which she sincerely hoped was wrong, otherwise things could still go very badly for Edith. And for her child.

* * *

Ten minutes later Helen Magnus composed her face, knocked curtly and opened the door into the examination room.

"Dr. O'Neill, might I have a word with you?"

The doctor smiled at Edith and followed Helen out of the room.

"Doctor, I have a feeling that Edith was given Firethorn as a tea." Helen had really wanted to be wrong about her suspicions.

The doctor looked shocked.

"But why on Earth would anyone give her that?"

"It is the only plant which covers all the symptoms she listed but is cumulative and would act slowly enough that it might look like a natural degenerative illness over a few weeks or months. The only possible reason is to kill without too much immediate suspicion."

"To kill…?... But the effects may still be working on her! And what of the baby?"

"The symptoms were quite advanced. She had got to the stage of coughing up blood from the chloroform and ether compounds. I have to say that, frankly, it is a miracle that she still lives, let alone carries a child. We can give her a saline infusion into the vein to try to ensure that her system can flush through any remaining poison, and stop any potential further damage. Other than that, at this point there is little we can do. I suggest we do not tell her there may still be complications. We need to keep an eye on her, heaven knows what affect firethorn would have on the child."

Doctor O'Neill hurried off to gather the requirements for a saline drip while Helen went back into Edith's room.

"Well, Edith, I think we have narrowed down the culprit for your symptoms, and Dr O'Neill is going to put you on a saline infusion to flush out any remaining poison. It should make you more comfortable, and may even help with the morning sickness, as it will stop you from becoming so dehydrated."

Edith looked into the clear blue eyes. They were darker than Thomas's eyes. She was not entirely certain Helen was telling her absolutely everything, but she saw no actual deception, and she did trust her to do whatever needed doing. She nodded.

"I am happy to put myself in your hands then."

Dr. O'Neill returned and inserted the needle into her arm for the saline drip. Edith lay back, and for the first time in quite a while she actually felt relaxed.

"I remember my mother's twin sister being put on an infusion when she was expecting my cousin. It sounded like magic to me as a child when I read the letter," Edith smiled at the memory.

"I'm sorry..?" Helen looked at her sharply. "Your mother was a twin?"

"Yes, twins skip a generation….. Oh!' Edith paled and her eyes went wide. "Do you think….?"

Helen and Dr O'Neill looked at one another. Both realised that this could mean a whole new set of problems and complications, especially if the poison could not be flushed.

"Don't worry about that - it will be a few weeks yet until you are far enough along for us to be able to hear whether there are one or two heartbeats. As soon as you are we will all be able to listen.' Helen took Edith's hand. "I am afraid you will have to be patient, Edith."

* * *

On the other side...

He was quite pleased that there were competent doctors involved in flushing what might be left of the poison in Edith. Of course, he knew something about the good Doctor Magnus that Edith did not: that there were currently two Helen Magnus's and this one had been the victim of being trapped on the wrong side of a time rift.

Good thing she was effectively immortal.

 _"All the better for Edith then. This doctor's knowledge will help her all the more. Especially with future medical knowledge."_

* * *

The next few days were better for Edith. The saline drip had helped, she was feeling much better, though certain smells still did not sit well with her, causing immediate running to the water closet. She still wasn't eating much, since most things still smelled or tasted awful.

She could not believe that she had forgotten that her mother was a twin, and with that came a generation skip. Then again, things had been rather chaotic.

Edith smiled a bit at the thought. She could have two children to cuddle.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the hospital, Alan had gotten some unexpected mail from back home. It was in a pile on his desk. There were three letters addressed to him. And they were all in different handwriting. One was a letter from Marshall (he had been expecting that one), a letter from his father, and one from his mother. The last one was one he was _not_ looking forward to reading. He had a fairly good idea what it was going to say.

 _"Should I even bother opening it? When I know exactly what it is going to say,"_ Alan thought to himself.

His mother had never been overly fond of Edith. And the events in Buffalo involving the Sharpe siblings, had only made things worse. Now with what he was doing to help Edith and the kid, his mother was likely apoplectic with rage.

He decided to just throw the letter out. There was no real point in reading it. His mother's ire would be dealt with when they returned to the US.

* * *

It turned out that Edith also got a letter from Ruth a few days later. Like Alan she just threw it out. She had more important things on her mind than Ruth McMichael's spleen. Like trying to keep more food down. Food as a whole still did not agree with her.

Helen was focused on trying to keep her iron up among other things. But nothing smelled good at all. And what smelled halfway decent, she had trouble keeping down.

Again she found her mind wandering back to what the kid and/or kids would look like. About whether there was going to be anything wrong with them, due to the poison. Edith tried to think about something positive.

There was a large part of her hoping that the child would get Thomas's blue eyes.

* * *

As June wore on, it became more apparent that Edith was pregnant. And made the three doctors that she was around suspect all the more that she was having twins.

She'd already bought some maternity dresses though even the act of buying them was a challenge. The women of Ireland were quite shocked to see her about once she started to show. Edith had taken her time (as far as she could), and found materials she liked. She also managed to find a wonderful dressmaker, by a chance encounter with a woman in the hospital in an elegant maternity gown. The dressmaker, Aideen was very kind. Aideen told her the name meant 'little fire', and it suited her, the bright, warm spirit that she was.

Once Edith had favoured the huge leg-o-mutton sleeves, almost (she now thought) a symbol of her girlish vigour and fertility - appropriate for the fashionable, wealthy young woman, unconsciously 'on the market', blossoming, ripe and ready for a husband's seed. Now, in the light of harsh reality, the fashion felt inappropriate, an indulgence she no longer invited. Her short marriage had left her, at least for now, more serious, more guarded, and this reflected itself, not entirely consciously, in more sedate attire. Her new palette was subtle greys though, not the black or purple of deep mourning, which might be expected of her. Thomas was gone from her physically, but he was still within her, as deep a part of her as her own soul.

So she found herself in the hands of a good dressmaker, talking side fasteners, fan-pleats and expanding skirts, and discussing corsets. Edith's newfound saviour was something of a progressive, given her head. Aideen always managed to cheer Edith's spirits. between them they agreed that she should forego corsets, rather than strap herself and her new child into a maternity corset. She was slim and did not need to worry about the support, and Aideen felt she would be far more comfortable, especially if she were indeed carrying twins.

The only thing Edith had been completely certain of from the start were the touches of deep blue piping in the dresses. The colour of Thomas's eyes.

By the beginning of July everyone felt Edith was far enough along to try to detect the child's heartbeat. She sat in the clean white room at the hospital, with Dr O'Neill, Dr Magnus and Alan all around, as excited as she to find out. Helen had helped her out of the clever expanding skirt and underskirt Aileen had made for her, and in her petticoat she lay back on the bed. The air was almost static with expectation. Dr O'Neill took out his Laennec's Monaural and applied it to Edith's growing belly. He listened for such a long time, moving the scope around slowly, eyes closed in concentration. Eventually he stood up straight, a serious look on his face.

"Well, Edith, I hope you are prepared for a long labor and a full nursery." His mock-serious manner took Edith a full two seconds to see through.

"Oh! Oh it is twins!" Edith was by turns overwhelmed and elated. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she did both.

The room had occasionally before seen this many people in it smiling and hugging and shaking hands; but this time there was also one present who could do nothing but observe, and rejoice, and fret, and worry, and love.

* * *

Early August, and the weather was driving Edith mad. It was a summer of thunderstorms, high humidity and occasional heatwaves. She could not get cool indoors or out. She divided much of her time between Helen's somehow cooler house, where she spent a lot of time, both doors and the window open for light and air, and the cloister-like courtyard at the hospital.

By the last week of August and edging into September, though, she was ready to scream, could she only muster the strength to do so, and even the walk to either of the sanctuary was too much alone. She had taken to going to the hospital with Alan whenever possible, even on early shifts, because she no longer felt up to walking unaccompanied. The repeated thunderstorms gave her terrible headaches, and these combined with the extended nausea left Edith exhausted.

Helen and Dr O'Neill were worried still about the poison. Helen reasoned that the months of saline drips must have flushed much of the residue from Edith, but what if too much damage had already been done? Edith was obviously far weaker than was safe. The nausea she still felt could no longer be attributed solely to morning sickness, not this far in. The babies were due in little more than a month. She decided to get Edith to stay at the sanctuary for a few days, so she could observe her.

"I am alright really, I am sure. I would know if there was anything wrong."

"I just want to keep an eye on you. This is a delicate time for any woman carrying twins." Helen's voice was gentle, reasonable. But she was serious, and did actually look worried. Then -

"Edith, I need to be completely honest with you. The time has passed for conjecture and tact. I am worried about the lingering effects from the poison. I am worried about your continued nausea. You have lost a lot of weight, your babies are taking their nourishment from you whether you have it to spare or not. It has got to the point that I am afraid you will become too weak to birth them. Yes we can perform a cesarian section, but that is not good for you either if you are too weak. Please stay here so we can take care of you?" "I have a place out in the countryside. It's quiet, and a bit out of the way. But it would be good for you."

Edith was taken aback by Helen's bald statement. She had not considered that the nausea was anything other than protracted morning sickness, perhaps because of the twins. But she was weak. She saw the wisdom of acceeding to Helen's plea. She nodded.

'I will stay in the countryside if you believe it is the right thing to do.'

* * *

The other observer in the room was as relieved as Helen at Edith's agreement. A hand rested on his shoulder.

 _"You cannot do anything here. You know she is in the best hands possible. Come away, and do not fret yourself. She is another's now."_ Of course, Mr Jordan was right. He was always right. But Edith still needed him. And he still needed her. He always would.

* * *

After a week under Helen's care, with whatever magical concoction she had come up with in the drip, Edith's weight began to stabilise. She did not feel actually much better, and she still suffered bouts of nausea, but she was definitely gaining weight and did begin to feel stronger.

She took her morning exercise in the sanctuary courtyard. It was much better out in the countryside, out of the city. At the beginning of September the temperature had settled, and there were fewer thunderstorms, though the humidity was still high and it rained heavily at least every other day. The stone seats at the sanctuary were hard and cold, and both Helen and Dr. O'Neill had banned her outright from sitting on them without a cushion.

Edith smiled as she took the cushion from under her arm and placed it on the cold stone. Seating herself, she found it hard to get comfortable today. Over the last couple of weeks the twins had taken up Irish dancing in homage to their country-of-birth-to-be, and as she tried to get comfortable they started a merry jig on her spine. Suddenly their dancing grew into what she first feared was a frenzied struggle to escape her, but her waters remained intact. The pain swamped her. The cry of pain caught in her throat. She could not sit. She could not stand. She tried to breathe slowly and deeply, to override the pain, but it was too much, and weak at the knees she reached out to lean on one of the stone pillars. As she did so, she felt an intense cold and an overwhelming sense of calm suddenly washed over her, driving away the pain. A hand. It was a hand over hers. She looked up, and saw a figure with shimmering light outlining him. He was dressed entirely in black, with his face covered, save for his eyes. Edith knew those eyes. Just for a second, so brief that afterwards she _almost_ could have persuaded herself it hadn't happened, though she knew in her heart that it had. He had come to her. She had been alone and in pain, and he had come to her. Then he was gone. Both hands to her mouth, suddenly bereft again, and shocked, she stifled a sob at this second loss, backed senselessly against the stone wall. But she came back to herself, looking briefly about to make sure she had not been observed, dashed a tear from her eye, smoothed her skirt. The pain was gone. He had taken it away.

She could have gone to tell Helen, should have gone to tell her about the pain. She might have been able to explain it to Alan, even. But instead, she sat, alone in the country courtyard, composed and still now, and bathed in the warm knowledge that her Thomas was her Thomas still, and always.

* * *

Thomas _knew_ he was going to get it from Mr. Jordan after doing that. Ergo, he was quite reluctant to head back.

When he finally did come back he got a "I suppose you thought that was a good idea?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Thomas snarled.

Mr. Jordan rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers, before saying, "I'm not even going to ask you to apologize, because I know that it would be a meaningless one. At least your face was covered."

"I'm pretty certain she knew who I was," Thomas replied.

"I'm sure she did. Do you think she'd tell anyone you were there," Mr. Jordan asked.

"Not sure. She might, since Doctor Magnus has an open mind," Thomas said.

"It won't be much longer," the older entity remarked.

"I know. What I did will help her when that time comes," Thomas replied.

* * *

Helen was pleased when James came for a chat. One of the maids had let him into her lab. Edith was resting in her room.

"What are you trying to make Helen? You never were much of a chemist," he remarked.

"I am trying to make Nitrous Oxide," she replied not taking her eyes off the apparatus.

"Why?"

"Because it can be used as a painkiller during childbirth and is one of the rare ones that has little negative effects on either the mother or the children," Helen replied.

James then asked a question that he'd been wondering about since this Helen's arrival, "From the future, what would you want the most?"

"At the moment? I'll settle for an ultrasound, it's a way I could see the babies, and see which position they're in. Definitely would have loved some medicine for Edith that would have got the nausea under control sooner. Also a reliable painkiller, if she wants it. That is why I'm trying to make Nitrous Oxide."

"Let me help. I was always a better chemist than you are," James said as he took off his jacket.

* * *

After helping with the laughing gas, James decided to stay in Ireland for the foreseeable future.

"You might need some help when her labor starts," he'd said.

While Helen knew she could manage on her own, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. James was a skilled doctor and surgeon. Another pair of hands would likely be useful.

* * *

Through the rest of September Edith found herself getting almost jittery, expecting the twins to make their escape any day, any hour. She was not sure which she dreaded most - an early arrival or being pregnant for much longer. The unbearable humidity of August and early September had at least given way to less uncomfortable weather, but Edith was still having trouble coping with the twins dancing.

Edith had been unable to get Thomas's eyes out of her mind. That simple act of love and protection, and she was utterly certain that he had really been there, had brought her so much comfort. Her beloved had come to her and she knew that he watched over her still. She wondered if she would ever really see him again, whether that one visit would be all she got. She spent too much time, she knew, with this thought in her mind. Thomas may come to her, may still love her, as she still loved him, but he was gone from her physical life and she must accept that and live accordingly.

October began with a light mist of rain that kept Edith indoors, pacing the rooms of Helen's home.

"If you don't stop walking about you will lose all the weight we managed to put on you and wear yourself out," James chided her gently.

Edith laughed.

"I'm sorry, I can't seem to rest today. It must be the change in the weather. And the twins are moving around a lot." She absently rubbed her belly, hoping the contact would calm the babies in the same way she hoped her constant talking to them calmed them.

"They are? More than over the past few weeks?"

"A little. Do you think they are planning an escape?"

"Well, they'll have to come out at some point and they are fairly near due. Will you be careful to rest, Edith, and let us know straight away if anything feels different," James asked.

I will. I promise," she'd assured him.

* * *

And that had been a week ago. And still no babies. But on the other hand, their cavorting had lessened.

She sighed, closing the book she was trying, and failing, to read, had been failing to read for two days now. She suddenly felt so parched. She needed to drink something, stood to go to the kitchen and it hit her. She doubled over, more in surprise than pain, as she felt the contraction. She managed to breathe through it, rode the discomfort, leaning hard on the table, almost tipping it over. A flood of emotions overwhelmed her, surprise, joy, fear, love.

As the contraction began to subside she took a deep breath, drew herself up and walked from the room calmly, to find Helen and James.

* * *

Five hours in and still no babies. Helen had ordered her to her bedroom as soon as she found her, insisting that she lie down and conserve her energy for what might be a long labor. Now Edith was partly happy to have obeyed, and partly worried that she might go mad with boredom if the labour did not speed up. Only a few further contractions so far, but she had to admit that they were tiring when they came.

"You seem to be going along well enough, at least. Not too much discomfort?" Helen was still worried about Edith and the babies, but was not about to let Edith realize that.

"None, really. The contractions have not been painful, exactly, so far."

"Good to hear. I managed to cook up a little something that will help later if things get uncomfortable for you."

As she spoke a big contraction hit Edith, making her pale, and slicking her forehead with a beading of sweat. Helen took her hand and helped her breathe through it.

"That one was a little stronger..." Edith smiled a little faintly.

Helen and James conferred outside Edith's room in whispers.

"It's been five hours and the contractions are barely closer together. I hope she is strong enough for a long labour. It doesn't look like she's going to get much rest and each contraction is only making her more tired." James was concerned.

"Well, I suppose if it comes down to it there is the option of a cesarean. But I'd rather not, frankly. I don't think it would be the best for her or the babies," Helen reminded her friend.

"No, I agree, if we can get her through this as naturally as possible it will be safest for all three of them," James conceded before saying, "A cesarean should only be a last resort."

They heard Edith through the door, panting as the next contraction hit her.

* * *

Another five hours passed without much change, but Edith was beginning to get very tired. The contractions were starting to get stronger, but her waters hadn't broken and Edith was not sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Do you think everything is alright?" She asked Helen, for the first time that day. Helen thought it had shown great trust as well as strength of character that Edith had not asked this earlier.

"Their heartbeats are strong and steady. I think they are just taking their time, that's all. They want to stay where it's warm and safe a little longer," Helen soothed.

Edith was relieved. She had felt so calm throughout, so far, and she was not even sure why. She half hoped that Thomas was with them, watching, somewhere, but she could not sense or see him. She lay back, wishing she could see him again, then felt guilty that she had not first thought of Alan. She knew Alan loved her, and she knew he would love these children, because they were hers. She knew that he was a good man, but she was not sure she would ever feel for him the way she had felt for Thomas, the way she still felt for Thomas. She did love Alan, he was her dearest friend, but the love that should be between a husband and wife would take time.

* * *

A strong contraction swept through her, and the candle beside the bed flared a little, unnoticed by her as she breathed through the effort, eyes closed. Another watched, wishing he could hold her and help her bring his children into the world, knowing his part in this was over now, and he could only observe and love her across the distance between their worlds.

"It's been nearly fifteen hours and her water hasn't broken yet. Do you think we should risk breaking them manually?" James was growing concerned over the lack of progress.

"If we had access to the equipment I had in the future I might, but not here in this time. It would be too risky. We have to just wait. I'd be more concerned if they broke and she still didn't dilate properly. I must be honest, I am surprised she's opening so slowly. There has been no sign of the show and yet the contractions are getting stronger. I am sure they must be ready soon,' Helen said to her friend.

"And there are two of them to get out. They really don't want to leave her. Stubborn little ones," James muttered with a small grin on his face.

* * *

Twenty hours in and Helen was checking Edith over. The babies were still sounding good, but Helen was still concerned at the slow going. She was checking Edith for dilation when -

"Ah!" and she popped up from between Edith's knees with a piece of cloth with an unpleasant sticky streak. She was smiling broadly.

"Oh, what on earth is that?" Edith looked worried and a little disgusted.

"The show. The mucous that seals you up while the babies grow. It has come out, which is a very good sign indeed. It shows things are heading in the right direction." Helen was relieved. She thought,

 _"Finally things are moving forward!"_

A little over half an hour later, Edith put down the book she had been trying to read to pass the time. She felt so uncomfortable that she got Helen to help her upright so she could walk round the room. As she did so she felt liquid course down her leg. She looked at Helen, a mixture of embarassment and relief on her face.

"My water..."

"Now we're getting somewhere. Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it, it's just your body preparing for the birth. Do you still need to walk around," Helen asked.

"No, actually I feel a bit less uncomfortable now," Edith replied

"Good. Let's get you cleaned up and changed, then you can lie down again. From here on in things may get a little more painful as your body prepares for the babies to come out. I can't give you any timetable, still though, they will come when they are ready."

Once Edith was clean and comfortable back on the bed, James brought in the cylinder of Nitrous Oxide he and Helen had managed to make.

"If you get a lot of pain, Edith, just put the mask over your mouth. Breathe normally in through your mouth and out through your nose, and it will ease the pain, or at least you won't mind it so much. You will feel a little light headed and possibly giggly, but the pain will diminish," James instructed.

"Giggly?" Edith smiled. She had not anticipated feeling 'giggly' at any stage of this procedure.

"One of the side effects I'm afraid. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe for you and the babies." He patted Edith's hand reassuringly.

* * *

It was almost midnight, and Edith had lost track of time. The contractions were getting closer together and they had started to get stronger over the last couple of hours. She had not had any of James's gas, but she realized she may have to once they got worse. Another wave rolled over her, and she breathed through it as Helen had taught her. They were starting to feel different.

"Helen?" she called softly - Helen had fallen asleep in the dressing chair. She stirred immediately when she heard Edith call.

"Edith? Are you alright?"

"Oh, Helen, I think it's finally time!" A wave of pain rolled through her, a strong contraction and a deeper feeling within.

Helen came to the bed, lifted Edith's knees and examined her.

"Oh that's much better. You are starting to open properly. Is it sore?"

'It feels like something pinching me inside.'

"You may have a sensitive cervix. Not everyone feels it. Do you want the gas," James asked.

"No, not yet," Edith replied tightly.

"I think we'll get you in the chair now. It will help once they start to come out."

Almost as soon as Edith was settled in the birthing chair another contraction came, stronger than ever.

'I definitely think they are on their way..' Edith managed to gasp out.

'Try not to push, you aren't open enough, just breathe through it for now' Helen's voice came from between Ediths knees.

From that point on things started happening quickly - and Edith found the gas was necessary after half an hour. She did not cry out, but tears came from her eyes as the pain grew worse.

In a haze, Edith's eye was caught briefly by a man's outline. Not James, no this was a shape she carried deep in her heart and soul, and a warmth grew over her. She was not sure though, whether this was real, it felt too hazy, too distant. Maybe it was just the gas. She drifted a little, until she heard Helen's voice cut through the fog

"Edith, when the next contraction hits you, push, hard..."

The contraction hit like a ton of bricks and she pushed as hard as she could, tears of pain squeezing from her eyes, gripping James's hand painfully as Helen crouched to catch the baby.

Edith and Thomas's son emerged from his mother while it was still dark out, his hair, not dark like his father but white blond. Edith held him for a moment, until the contractions continued, helping his sister emerge fifteen minutes later with the same white blond hair.

Exhausted, holding her beloved Thomas's son and daughter to her, Edith fell asleep, not noticing the tears coursing down her cheeks.

* * *

To say that he was nervous was an understatement. Thomas had waited for a bit for things to calm down. Mainly for Edith to fall asleep and the two doctors to not be present.

His twin children were alive. And healthy, despite everything that had had been thrown at them. Cassandra and Hector were a bit small, but from what he had been able to ascertain from conversations between Doctors Magnus and Watson, that was perfectly normal.

Mr. Jordan had warned him many times to avoid running into Doctor Magnus. Whilst she could not see him, Helen was open minded enough to sense the presence of an entity, and smart enough to make a good guess as to who it was and likely mention it to Edith, or worse Alan, who would react poorly to his being around. Secrecy was key.

Watching them sleep, Thomas finally felt that he had truly given something good to the world. When he caressed their cheeks, they both wriggled closer to the caress in their sleep.

Before Thomas could muse any further, he heard footsteps. He could not get caught.

As he shimmered out, Thomas thought, _"Please. I do not want them to suffer for my sins. The sins of the father should not fall on his children. I will do anything and everything to make sure that does not happen especially in regards to history repeating itself!"_

With that, he'd faded away to the point where not even someone with Edith's gifts could see him.

Thomas would be there always. And he would do whatever it took to make sure his children lived as long and happy of lives as possible.

He looked at a calendar. It was October 17th, 1902.

* * *

 **A/N 2: This turned into a monster of a chapter. My beta and I did our best with a scene that neither of us have actually experienced in reality. I would love to know what you all think. However, the birthday for public consumption will be December 17th, 1902. To lend more credence to Alan being their father. It's actually a little interlude next chapter. A character that hasn't shown up yet in the story will have it all to themselves for the most part, along with Mr. Jordan! Three guesses who it is? ;) SSD Happy Halloween everybody!**


	6. Be Careful What You Wish For

**Interlude I: Be Careful What You Wish For...**

 **A/N: Here's the first interlude of And Then There Was Light. A character that hasn't had much to do in this story shows up in this chapter. Hope you all enjoy it! This takes place shortly after the end of chapter 5. Thank you very much Carolyn, I'm enjoying this with you! SSD**

* * *

Meanwhile hundreds of miles away in Northern England...

There had always been some ghosts in Allerdale Hall. They had practically come with the place, if the stories were to be taken at face value.

There was no one residing in Allerdale Hall. No one among the living that is, and she most definitely believed the stories.

Something had been bothering her all day. Early in the morning, when it still counted as night, all of the candles in the place had spontaneously lit themselves. And the entity could not figure out why that had happened.

She knew that she had not caused it to happen and she was the only ghost in the immediate area. Her traitor brother was nowhere to be found, either in the house or in the land surrounding it.

The thrice blasted Americans were well out of her reach as well which irked her. She hated unfinished business.

Then the ghost remembered the business with the candles again. There were two possible explanations:

1) There could be another ghost in the house. Which she found unlikely since she could sense whatever entered and left her home.

or

2) A more powerful entity than she was toying with her from a distance. She conceded that the second idea was more probable than the first, since she held little power outside the house.

"Well well. I had thought that you would have figured it out by now. I was told that you had some cunning to go with that madness of yours."

She whirled around and saw a dark haired man dressed in a white shirt and pants. He was no ghost, but something different entirely.

"What do you want," she snarled.

The man kept his calm smile on his face as he replied, "I was just seeing if you'd figured out the good news."

She had a puzzled look on her face as she asked, "How could the candles lighting up on their own signify good news or anything at all?"

"A short time ago you were thinking about how or why they could light up on their own. Both of your theories could apply, but not this time. There is a third reason why they'd light up, and that is the one that applies here," the man replied.

"And what is that third reason?"

 _"Oh this is going to be fun,"_ Mr. Jordan thought before saying with an evil grin, "The third reason means that a new generation has entered the world."

He could tell that it had gotten the ghost's attention.

"That's not possible. You're lying."

"Actually it is entirely possible Lucille," Mr. Jordan said using her name for the first time in the conversation, "They were not under your direct supervision the entire time.

* * *

"NO! Thomas would not do that to me. He was MINE! He loved me. He would not have given himself to that insipid girl, not in that way.

"I am very sorry to disabuse you, Lucille, but he would, and he did."

Mr Jordan paused a moment to see what Lucille might do next. He thought it would be something violent, and he was _not_ disappointed.

Lucille launched herself at him, flying to his face from where she stood in the blink of an eye. Mr. Jordan didn't flinch. He didn't need to - there was nothing she could do to him physically. Or at all. As she was about to find out.

Lucille was outraged to find that she made no contact with the man. He was as insubstantial, even to her rage, as she herself might be should a living mortal attempt to attack her. Again and again she lashed out at him, ineffectually.

"Come now, Lucille, you should be happy. You are an aunt. Your family line continues," Mr. Jordan said to the irate ghost. He knew he was baiting her a bit.

"It was meant to continue with OUR child. Thomas's and MINE!" She was beyond reason, tears of rage and despair falling unheeded from her eyes as she hollered into his face.

Lucille flew about the room whipping up a whirlwind of dust which she launched at him, as pointlessly as she had launched herself at him.

"No smile for your brother and his wife's good fortune?" he _almost_ felt guilty at that jibe. Emphasis on almost.

"Who are you?" Lucille hissed into his face. "Why have you come here to torment me with your lies?"

"Ah, well, that may take some explaining. But I assure you, my dear, I am not lying to you. It appears your hold over your brother was neither as complete nor as permanent as you imagined," Mr. Jordan answered, enjoying himself.

Lucille raised the cold damp logs in the fireplace to flame and hurled the flames at him. They licked around him, never quite touching him, forming themselves around him, leaving a void where he stood.

Mr. Jordan decided to drive a point home with his next statement.

"Lucille, my dear, do not upset yourself so much. You have what you wanted. You never wanted to leave here. And you never will. The family line will live on... just not the way you envisaged. It is a lesson for you, though, to be careful what you wish for. You might just get it. If not in the way you anticipated."

Lucille raged. She lifted one of the ornate heavy iron-based lamps and hurled it at the man. It didn't even make him flinch, let alone injure him. One after another, she hurled objects at him, lamps, vases, even furniture, but he withstood all of it without any sign that it even reached him.

"You know, they have their father's eyes." Mr Jordan could not help but throw in this information.

Lucille paused in her rampage. A moment, then -

"They? There are two of them? Two of them." She grew calm and drew herself up. "There is a girl and a boy. A sister and a brother." Her face grew wildly triumphant. "A _sister_ and a brother."

Mr. Jordan had a _very_ good idea why her mood had changed. He quickly said, "Oh, my dear. I'm afraid you are on the wrong track there. There is a sister and a brother, it is true. But that history will not be repeating itself. Most definitely not."

Lucille looked at him with, literally, fire in her eyes. If she could have killed him with that look, he would have been ashes in moments. Her wrath rebuilt itself, bolstered by Mr Jordan's comments. "Leave here," she hissed. "I will destroy you. Whoever you are, know that if, ... when, I discover your secret, I will send you to the deepest, darkest hell you can imagine."

Mr Jordan sighed a little. "Oh Lucille, many have tried. It only ends badly. It ended badly for them, and it would end badly for you. You may think there is nothing that can be done to you now you lack a physical body, but you would be horrified if you knew just how wrong you are. I promise you, any attempt to destroy me would only end in disaster. For you."

A scream rose in Lucille's throat, her hair flew about her wildly, wind rising at her bidding to whirl around them.

"You obviously have much to think over, my dear. I will leave you to compose yourself for a while." He faded from view.

Lucille's scream rose to an ear-splitting pitch, and the room was filled with swirling dust, debris and broken furniture, a whirlwind of hate and despair.

Mr. Jordan watched and listened as the distraught ghost destroyed the contents of the room. He almost felt sorry for her.

* * *

When he got back to the other side a voice called out to him saying, "Don't you think that you were being a little harsh with her, Felix?"

He turned around and saw Rose, his immediate boss.

"I just gave her the facts. And some hard truths that I knew she wouldn't like," Felix replied.

"Doing that with the crazy ones is dangerous, even for you, Felix," Rose warned.

"Her childhood may have driven her mad, but that doesn't excuse what she did. She had enough of her mind to know the difference between right and wrong," Felix argued back.

"Be a bit more careful in the future, Felix. She can't get free at the moment. She would need help and she might get that help in the future," his boss cautioned.

"There's only one person that can help her escape, and even he wouldn't do that lightly," Felix mused aloud.

"He'd likely do that purely to amuse himself. Or he might just want to get his hands on her to punish her properly in his eyes," Rose said.

"I'd love to see what he'll come up with for her when the time comes. And amusing himself and punishing her properly are not mutually exclusive for him," Felix said rubbing his hands together.

* * *

 **A/N 2: Hope you all liked Lucille's hissy fit. I picture the way she says "Sister" the way Darth Vader said it in Return of the Jedi. Mr. Jordan is so much fun to write. Picture his boss Rose as Betty White. Hm... who could possibly help Lucille escape at some point? I'd love to hear what you all think. The next chapter is a time jump to when Cassie and Hector are roughly 4 years old. What would be some things you'd like to see? SSD**


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